Since its inception Vodafail.com has made a significant
contribution towards raising awareness of the problems and issues faced
by Vodafone customers.

Vodafone Australia customers have had the opportunity to voice their concerns, their fears and their troubles from every corner of Australia and beyond our borders.
You have gathered the courage to stand up for your rights as consumers and to make your voice heard.

Each and every person who shared their story should have a sense of pride in this achievement and the changes that have occurred since the start of Vodafail.com.

More recently, traffic to Vodafail.com has declined significantly.
Having achieved the goal of raising awareness and promoting concrete action in early 2011, we have now reached the point of closing Vodafail to new complaints.
The site will remain online for as long as possible as a
reminder and an example of what is possible when we share our experiences.

It has been a privilege to run this initiative
and I'm am forever grateful for the help and support I've received. In
particular I would like to thank Melissa, David and Travis for their
continued efforts over the past 15 months. I'm also thankful and humbled by the support of ACCAN, Choice magazine and a wide range of media outlets, blogs and websites.

Share Your Gain

Vodafail.com is no longer accepting complaints.

Over the past 6 months traffic to Vodafail has declined significantly. Therefore we have closed off Vodafail to new
complaints. We think you will find more joy in posting on any one of
these fine product / brand review sites.

Other People's Gain

21145 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is very good at 17 Mar 2012 10:42:07 AM

Got charged $600.00 for a mobile payment plan, after consolidating my bill, called 1555 on my phone, and requested a call back in 10-15 mins because customer service was busy at peak hour. They then called me back in 9 mins, and spoke to Asha who looked into my bill for me, and realised the mistake, she subsequently waived the $600.00 i was incorrectly charged, and transferred my mobile payment plan to my new consolidated bill. This took about 20 mins in total to do and was very pleased with the outcome. I was simply nice and so were they. The offshore sales representatives are in many ways more punctual than the average australian bogan, no wonder vodafone would rather pay someone in India $6000 a year instead of $60000 salary. I cant understand why so many people are unhappy, either im very lucky or there is a lot of incompetent customers that cant understand the technology they use, I was in store the other day and another customer was ranting saying they couldnt hear other people when talking, the thing was that the guy hadnt removed the cover on the screen from packaging, like seriously, what a gene cess pool I have to live beside LOL. Most of the complaints can be summed up as not understanding billing, handset or network concepts, If i was vodafone i would incorporate an aptitude test aswell as a credit check so these issues dont occur.

17 Mar 2012 04:51:48 PM: Having worked in a phone shop (not vodafone) you are right about that. most problems are either simple mistakes that get worse because people just get angry and yell, or people dont understand what the issue is and dont want to hear from someone who knows.

I finally called vodafone to start my process of getting out of my contract, however after talking to the technicians and then cancellations they allowed me to port my number over in the next hour.

the main hints that i can really give you is that :
1) Explain your situation clearly ! tell them what ur experiencing, i had no recpetion in my own house, and 2 bars outside, and clearly told them that im paying them for a 3g service that i dont even get in my own home !! its ridiculous that i would have to go outside just to recieve phone calls.

2) Be polite ! i myself work for a mobile carrier, and i can tell u that the people that come in yelling and screaming are the ones we end up not giving a shit about and hand balling to another department.

3) Be clear on what you want ! The Technicians offered me 25% off for the next 3 months, the cancellations team offered me 50% off for the next 3 months, but both were unacceptable, why am i paying for a service i dont get ?

4) if you don't get what u want hang up politely ! if Cancellations team refuse to Waive the ETC's for you just grab their name, and a interaction (note) number and hang up and go to TIO.

21107 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is Great at 13 Mar 2012 01:22:17 PM

Was Telstra customer in tassie (VF bad reputation for reception). Moved to mainland for uni and heard VF was good here. Switched about 8 months ago. Only one billing issue (I had lots of problems with telstra) and that was reliatively easily taken care of in a shop. Unlimited calls and texts with a new phone for less than i was paying telstra.
Overall a good experience, reception not quite as good as with telstra but worth it for the money i save.
Just thought i would let people know its not all bad.
All that and i now work in a telstra shop. HA

Vodafone staff insisted there was an issue with my handset for the bad service, and countless dropouts. So i finally jumped ship:
Vodafail to Telstra porting just done.. Its like going from a 386 to a Quadcore lol. Everything is much snappier from the iMessenger to webpage/GPS loading times. Calls seem much clearer to me. And no drops outs thus far (whispers). So far so good.. Thought id share.

20934 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Pretty good at 22 Feb 2012 01:39:18 PM

The trick to getting out of a mess is to never get in it.
Have never been with Vodafone.. and couldn't be happier.
I don't even know why I am on this website. But I must thank you for creating it because I'll be avoiding Vodafone like the plague.
One of my mates just got a refund after going to the Ombudsman for Vodafone overcharging him. So it seems their shonky tactics are still there.
They definitely don't want my business!

Cell info display back on, thanks Vodafone - also new upgrade at
Para Vista South due to be done soon for 2100 3g new antenna upgrade,but not fully operational for GSM 900 WCDMA 850/900
(hope with anticipation they turn it on soon).
Modbury new site on air but very poor coverage Para Hills East and
Modbury Heights.
Is Vodafone still using the range extender technology with the new Huawai equipment, dont think so! 5/7 on Nokia phones now in 2G mode that used to be 7/7.

I rang them and complained about their poor service explaining that it wasn't just my iPhone it was all 3 products I have with them. I went on to say that when it gets to a point that I have had 2 ppl in the past week trying to contact me over emergencies and can't get through there is a BIG PROBLEM. I am paying for a service and it is my opinion you are failing to provide me with a service, I've had sms to say you are upgrading since last October. The service has gotten worse not better and now to the point it could cost lives.

I am now only paying half of my costs for the next 3 months and it will be reviewed then as to how the service coverage has progressed. With a thank you very much and I bid you adieu till we chat in 3 months time.

20809 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Very Good at 8 Feb 2012 09:08:28 AM

I've been with Vodafail for over 5 months, and recently after complained to Vodafone about the call drop out and snail speed internet, I got offered 2 months free.
I did take the deal for 1 month, but can stand it to go for another month of misery. So I then complained again to Vodafone, this time was told that network will be fixed and need to wait for another 1.5month, totally UNACCEPTABLE

I then complained to TIO, 4 days later Vodafone Resolution rang up and advise that there are network issues on my area KENSINGTON, and will be fixed by the end of 2012. which is again UNACCEPTABLE, she ends up letting me off from my 24month contract and I get to keep my phone for $150.

When I have credit I cannot access many pa.rts of internet like youtube. Funny that when I am out of credit I can access YouTube and download all I want for free.wtf over20gb worthand no fee.thanks vodafone I know not to recharge unless I need fone calls but free internet I will skype

1 Feb 2012 12:23:41 PM: This is on my prepaid using huawei android and wondered if others experience this on their phones.

I spent a week in Cairns where I had no reception for the majority of the time. This pushed me over the edge as I have had constant drop outs in Sydney, slow internet connection and low reception where I'm at. My aim from the conversation was to be compensated for the low quality service or I had planned on approaching the ombudsman to end my contract.

After being on the phone for an hour with various vodafone reps and escalating the matter, I was offered a new handset and 50% off my plan for 3 months.

Was on 3 prepaid mobile broadband and was paying $150 for 12GB. Just moved over to Dodo with a SIM only and now pay $34 for 12GB and it is only a 6 month contract. The initial connection is much faster, although the speed is pretty much comparable. I am saving quite a bit after the switch and my only gripe with Dodo was their speed in sending the SIM out. I was tempted by the Vodafone Mega Modem, but after reading this site I thought I would be better off trusting the Optus (Dodo) network...

For 3 straight days my reception has been horrible. Had 'No Service' at all points of the day while at home. Have to go to the point of driving out of the suburb to get a decent signal. Happens in other locations aswell.

Had enough and called up Vodafone. Their demands from me for them to escalated the problem were almost ludacris. Who remembers specific exact incidents and dates when their calls dropped out? They asked me to make some calls to give as examples but how could I when I have 'No Service'. I told them all the calls I made to them that day were example enough because almost everyone of them had cut out. No this was good enough for them. They also wanted me to update my firmware but I'm hesistant to do so as I thin iOS5 will slow down my already slow 3GS.

Finally made the decision to cancel the contract. They had the nerve to offer me a new contract and new iphone 4S saying I wouldn't have any reception issues on it and all I had two do was pay $177 (9 months left on a $69 plan). Wasn't a good enough deal for me so another lady offered me 3 months 3 till the problem gets sorted. Hesitantly decided to take up the offer. Hopefully the coverage gets better ASAP.

haven't got out yet but i am trying to get out of my mobile broadband plan they told me excelnt coverage and then i had it rechecked because it's running slower then a snails left nut. they told me that whoever told me i had good coverage lied to me and this is not the first i've heard of this happening help me out of this mess please ?

I had written Mammoth fail on the 15 of November and this is an update.
I have kept fighting this and started to record all of my conversations with Vodafone as the notes that Vodafone keep are completely miss leading I was having one conversation where I was told point blank that no one would have said that to me so I replayed the voice recording to her she then tried to tell me that it was because I had confused the operator!
In the end I think that I have won we had 2 accounts with Vodafone this is what I have gotten
Account 1
Waive early termination fees $772.56
Waive all owing charges (have not payed anything since this started) $325.31
All money back for hand set payment $45
Compensation $200
Account 2
Waive early termination fee $823.01
Waive all owing charges $483.06
Compensation $38

I have gotten letters to confirm that both accounts are completely clear
The $38 and $45 was credited to the credit card and the $200 will be credited to my bank with in the next 5 days it was a long fight but in the end I got what I wanted and I will never go back to Vodafone for anything!

Dumped VF, both M/phain & Bad/band ' mobile Internot! Scuse puns.
It was a simple transition from robbery, the daylight type - to
much less robbery, the tolerable type. I think it's "AMAYZINGIM"
My spelling is not as young as it yused 2B, thorry!
The bonus is, that it is the same feces as all of them. However,
the price is a much, much more pleasant aroma!!!
POINT: Tempy on O-PUUP and lost my D/L instantly as this site
M/page loaded! Me think HMmmm...

Re Dudley Tower - Redhead 2290
Ive posted here before about my reception problems.
Ive had my expiry period and data usage topped up, to keep me happy.
Vodafone also sent me a free Mega-Modem even though Im a Pre-paid customer.
I told them they were stuck with me as I had bought a couple of 12 month top ups.
Recently my download speed has been more than adequate.
Line Speed 4.35 MBPS, Download Speed 544KB/s (0.53MB/s).
At the slowest I was only getting less than dial-up speeds.
Now with the new Modem / 850 network all is fine.
So Im Happy.
Thank you Vodafone

26 Dec 2011 02:34:00 PM: I read somewhere that there is a new tower planned for Redhead April 2012

23 Jan 2012 03:50:29 PM: I hope so. Just moved to Caves Beach and if I want 1 bar of service I need to stand outside in the middle of the culdersac.Theyre changing me over to 3 I think. Not easy fully understanding someone whos first language isnt English.

After a month or so of back and forward with tech support, due to coverage issues they've let us out of our contract (which has about 5 months to go)! They do want the handsets back, which doesn't really bother me, but are letting us out no more to pay.

no mess
for the past 6 years ive been with vodafone and 3, when 3 was just new i went to them (just because they had good deals) and the 4 years i was with them, no complaints no worries, no nothing, been with vodafone now for a couple of months, again no worries, no stress, no problems, no issues..
no i lie, the only issue and problems im getting is with other people who are bagging me out, telling me im wrong and stating how the service doesnt work for them, so i must be wrong. how am i wrong, if i never had an issue??

6 Dec 2011 09:23:36 PM: I don't have a problem with vodafone either, and have both my mobile as a data plan with them.
My wife and son are with vodafone, neither have problems either.

Obviously something is wrong at vodafone if a lot of people are complaining, but it seems most people bitching and moaning just want to be on the bandwagon.
We live in a instant satisfaction society where no-one understands that things take time.

When you feel you have to create a website to voice your bad experience with a company I believe it is time to ditch said company and switch to a different service provider.

7 Dec 2011 09:09:31 AM: They wouldn't let me out of my contract until after I made the website. I've long since switched to another provider although I hope this site remains a useful and public way for people to voice their dissatisfaction.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

5 Feb 2012 10:21:25 AM: "We live in a instant satisfaction society where no-one understands that things take time."

Agree, however with a massive business who spam their stupid marketing in every media avenue, you would expect them to service customers as promised.

Why advertise something you can't provide? It seems very sneaky locking people into a contract for 24 months all the while knowing you can't offer what other business offer. As a consumer you would expect mobile phone technology from Vodaphone to be reliant.

persistance and knowing how to mindfuck... my 16gb iphone 3gs is on the fritz.. so i went into the vodafone store with a plan to mind fuck them.. i twisted every senario the gave me around to make them look and feel bad.. i know its not nice, but shit... i left with a brand new 32gb iphone 4gs, a lower contract with more inclusions, 500 fee from previous contract WAIVED, AND i got to keep my old iphone.. WIN

5 Jan 2012 09:25:24 PM: Your exactly the reason the poor retail staff are over their jobs! Vodafone is still the single biggest telco in the world, with 1 in 4 mobile users using their network. They are spending over 1 billion dollars to upgrade their existing towers and build new ones along the way. Yes, shit definately hit the fan for them, no questions about that, even the poor store staff will tell you things havent been very good at all. The reason the network suffered and in some areas is still suffering, is simply becuase the network upgrade is so massive, they need a little time to complete all affected areas. We must remember, Australia in particular is a hard country to manage network wise, as we have more mobile users here than nearly any other country in regards to population versus users. In short, too many consumers got their hands on 'smart' phones ie iphones, which congest the network more than most devices in a short amount of time. Shit happens, and the network suffered, as it did with optus and telstra (beleive it or not). Network towers are fragile and we cant be expected that conjestion and network issues are taboo, nothing is seamless. Yes, they were at the forefront selling these smart phones around the world, however it wasnt until it was too late to bring the network upgrade forward, is when the network suffered horribly, no questions. We rely on our mobiles and broadband devices so much more these days, infact if we really take a good look at ourselves, we are fairly selfish in our desire to have everything instantly, on cue, its the world we live in i guess, but shit, what on earth would we have done if we lived before our times, none of these utilities were even imaginable. Anyways, im rambling and gone completely off track. In short, dont take it out, or mis-lead (refering to 'awesome' comment above), 'mind fucking' retail staff - that's the lowest thing anyone could do. These people are trying to earn a living, and really at the end of the day, they are representing a global leader, a company in which sponsers and pours money into sports sponsership which most of you would watch, and charities in which most of you would support, without their contribution to society (outside of their day to day telco business), they really do have a good heart and do amazing things, ie though Vodafone Foundation for example. I am writing this blog as a once disgruntled customer now contented customer, as my area has been upgraded and i am receiving more than adequant network service, and i am writing this as someone who has benefited from Vodafone Foundation indirectly through someone i very much love(ed). Life is short, and websites like this, particually the negetive hate blogs are just so depressing to read. I understand people are frustrated, but blogging it simply wont change the situation, nor will potencially suing Vodafone. Try and get out of your contracts if things really are that bad, you have a legal right to that, which i know Vodafone oblige in most cases, or stick with em' and very soon if not already, the calm after this storm will be gone, and everyone will be happy.

20094 Someone from VIC thinks their gain is Can not wait to leave at 24 Nov 2011 03:26:30 PM

Thanks vodefone you moved me from three to vodefone due to the fact that my three phone was never working now it work but all my calls go to voicemail with out fail and it is not set that way on my phone at all

Was a very happy three customer for a long time until Vodafone came on board. For the last 6 months I had drop outs with my network. With work I work at of three different schools and experienced the problem at every location. 3 weeks ago with 2 months left on my contract I finally complained. Last week customer service called me, I told them that I wasn't happy with the service. They gave me a week to leave without any exit fees. 2 days later switched to the Telstra network, today i am currently at one mt locations that I had experienced network coverage no problems with Telstra

19891 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is out of contracts at 7 Nov 2011 05:08:04 PM

Tried Vodafones customer service repeatedly but not quick enough to respond and couldn,t wait any longer as couldn,t use any of our three family phones anywhere in our home area ,signals got so bad . Took advise from this site and the TIO complaint set ball rolling quickly . Vodafone called me within 2 days of receiving the complaint . Offered three months free on all three family phones until up grades were completed in our area or they would release us from our contracts. Accepted three months wait as have been a customer for over twelve years and no complaints at all up to the last year so was hopeful it would be sorted .Sadly up grades have apparently been completed and no better worse if anything. Rang Vodafone resolutions line spoke to the young lady who gave me her name to arrange our contract releases. She was very helpful and said it would be done within the hour . Off to Telstra as know service is good in our area so don,t want to chance anyone else but no more contracts for our family .

19879 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is good at 6 Nov 2011 11:48:48 AM

I complained about my poor reception and I said I would want to terminate the contract. Then I got offered 4 months fee waived ($49x4=$196). Plus that they gave me 2 months free when I sign the contract...so I don't have to pay a cent for 6 months... They promised that the reception would improve in Feb 2012, Let's see if it will improve! I guess if it doesn't...then they will need to waive my fee again?

19869 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is I'm out of my contract! at 4 Nov 2011 07:41:53 PM

After initial contact earlier this year (May) about reception issues and a 1 HOUR fight on the phone today, I have been released from my contract 8 months early and I am neither sending the handset back nor paying ONE CENT for it. Today was the most infuriating hour of my life. It came to the point where I said "If you don't agree to release me from my contract in the next 30 seconds, I will hang up on you and call Fair Trading/Communications ombudsman". The CS representative even offered to 'gift' my contract to a friend, asking for their address so he could check coverage at their house???? WTF????? I give my friends quality gifts, not crappy ones! Are they serious? Anyway, I'm outta there - now just trying to unlock my iPhone and start fresh. Most hellish customer service experience I have EVER had.

19861 Someone from QLD thinks their gain is good result at 3 Nov 2011 11:20:10 AM

Vodafone were very slow to connect my new phone when transferring from 3 to voda. I complained and asked for my contract to be cancelled.
After a series of emails with vodafone they would not cancel my contract but did offer me two months free. I escalated my complaint to the TIO and it took one day and two more phone calls for Voda to agree to cancel the contract.
I guess it shows that the little guy can win sometimes.
I fully recommend to anyone else with a dispute with voda to make their complaint directly in writing and give them the opportunity to reslove the problem first. The TIO should be the second step.
Thanks to this website and the TIO I got the outcome I wanted.
Vodafone is still terrible though.

19784 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Great result at 25 Oct 2011 10:29:27 AM

I was recently persuaded to move from 3 to Vodafone after two years of great service (I know people have complained about 3 on this site, but my experience with them was faultless), but having made the move, I found that data is unusably slow on 3G with Voda, whereas with 3 it was very quick.

As a result I have successfully negotiated my way back onto 3, and I couln't find a thread explaining how to do this, so I thought I'd share how I painlessly did it (it took me one initial call and about 10 minutes to get the process underway). Please note, this was within 14 days of initially transferring to Voda on a 24 month contract, with an iPhone 4s handset.

How to transfer from Voda back to 3...

1. Call 1555..
2. Say nothing to Lara (Voda's automated system) other than 'disconnect' no matter what question she asks you. Make sure you input your PIN when prompted. You will go straight through to a human!
3. Explain that your data has become unusably slow since moving to Voda and you wish to move back to 3. They will want to troubleshoot it with you or try to get you to speak to tech staff, politely decline, and explain that 3's data speed was impeccable and that the only outcome you will accept is being transerred back to the 3 network (be firm, but be nice!). The operator will put you through to a specialist team who will simply action your request. They put a note on your account stating you will be moving to 3. You then go to a Voda shop and pick up your new 3 SIM (they will see the note on you account).
4. Put new 3 SIM in phone. You will remain connected to Voda until the transfer team call you within 24 hours to confirm transfer. Within 48 hours, your phone will switch over to 3.

The above worked for me faultlessly, but if you need to take things further, having spoken to Voda without success, contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman here... http://www.tio.com.au/

Hope this helps some of you out there.

D.

25 Oct 2011 10:04:27 PM: Thanks for sharing how you did it, that's great for other people to know. Hopefully Vodafone improves before the end of the year though as they are migrating everyone on 3 over to the Vodafone network. Currently the 3 network switches between 3 and telstra towers, at the end of the year (I think) that will change to Vodafone.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

3 Jan 2012 05:46:50 PM: Any more news as to when the 3 network will no longer roam on the Telstra network?

19780 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is fail again at 24 Oct 2011 04:17:43 PM

I've just called vodafone customer care as i am not able to call overseas. apparently my call went to vodafone customer call center in India, and the employee apologised for the problem and said there is nothing else they can do at this stage. what a service!

19645 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is a great result at 10 Oct 2011 10:20:40 PM

I got into quite a pickle with a 3 -> Vodafail transition & lack of service, but thanks to this site I managed to get out of the contract which still had the best part of 22 months to run!
Vodafail.com - thank you so much, you've saved me 2 years of hardship that was making me feel physically sick - if I could buy you a beer I would :)

10 Oct 2011 10:22:23 PM: oh, I should mention I had to escalate the matter to the TIO, but thanks to the guidance here my complaint was spot-on, almost clinical & Vodafail had no choice but to yield

11 Oct 2011 05:40:11 PM: Hi,

Can you share what you said to get your result?

A

12 Oct 2011 09:04:43 AM: happy to, but it's a lengthy set of emails inappropriate to dump everything here ... but in a nut shell;
- I was promised (by 3) the Vodafail network was far superior to the 3 network when I was forced across with the upgrade
- turned out the actual experience was it fell way short of that, the truth is, I didn't want or need it to be better, I just needed it to be as good & it wasn't
- so I gave them the broken record, "you promised a service that's not being delivered - I want out from my contract"
- I got a total of five responses (three in writing) from Vodafail (& one non-response) saying "no, we can't release you from your contract" so I took the matter to the TIO
- gave them all the incident numbers I'd logged (both verbal & written) & had a response from Vodafail within days saying I could get out in 3 months if I still wasn't happy with it - this still wasn't quite the outcome I was looking for after being dicked around for so long so I pressed the point once and the next response came back with the magic words "I'll release you from your contract now" which I accepted

I think the important keys for me were;
1. having most of my complaints to Vodafail (& their responses)in writing
2. I maintained a log over two months of every incident I had using the phone, I even used a screen capture app on the phone to take screen dumps of all the "unable to connect to the network" error messages
3. being very clear about exactly what my issue was & sticking with it - while not clouding the issues by complaining about their substandard customer service etc

If you want more detail I'm happy to share it - (I hope this is ok with the site owners) but u can email me at mick_at_gpcricket.com.au & I'll send u the lot

15 Oct 2011 07:32:55 PM: Thanks for letting everyone know and sharing the details. We're really glad this site helped, sometimes it takes a bit of persistence to get out of the contract but the stories and complaints here show that it can be done.

Thanks for the offer, you can hold on to the beer for yourself (now that you aren't on hold for Vodafone - pun intended!).

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

18 Oct 2011 12:03:34 PM:
Very concise. I'm on the phone with 3 at the moment...

For the past 3 years, I have been committed to 3THREE and Vodafone. I'm not sharing a story about how I quit my contract early, or how I can now sit on the toilet and stream HD porn to my phone without massive lag (and yes, when I was doing this with 3THREE, I was experiencing the 'peak' of the 'broadband zone'). No. Instead, I am sharing a story about how the switch between 3THREE and Voda is now saving me money.

I have also taken into consideration that the plan inclusions that I was on with 3THREE and Vodafone were quite aged (therefore not that great), but I'm still saving money nevertheless.

A total difference of $15.00 a month, where Telstra has given me an epic deal!

But here's the catch to my 'saving money' statement. If you walk into a Telstra store and ask what Roaming charges are in Australia, they'll look at you funny. Yes, that's right... there is no such thing as a roaming charge with Telstra.

For 3 years, I've been dealing with 3THREE's roaming charges. Not once did I get a bill that was actually $64.00. They were always at least $80.00. Why did this happen, you ask? simple, it happens because smart phones like to connect to the internet periodically to keep you informed. They're not smart enough to know if you're roaming, and it shouldn't be your job to ensure that your cellular data is turned off whilst in a Roaming zone.

I've been with Telstra for 2 months though. Not once have I even come close to using my download limit, or go over my cap. I'm one very happy camper. On another note, I very much DO NOT miss the 'No Service' bar on the top.

Another short mention on the Customer Service, yeah... go to Telstra, they'll do absolutely everything for you.. They even told me to do my shopping whilst they slave on the phone for me to fix a minor issue in my contract (which believe it or not, was my fault). 3Voda just shooed me off with some Indians number.

However, in all this gain.... I have only one issue.
I now notice that every time I have a bat, I'm finished a fair bit quicker. Hmm. Odd. :P

6 Dec 2011 09:29:51 PM: You might want to read your phones manual, there is an option to turn roaming OFF on every smartphone.

29 Dec 2011 10:46:13 AM: and voda has no roaming either, the roaming thing was because of three's agreement with telstra.

19639 Someone from VIC thinks their gain is still in transition at 10 Oct 2011 06:35:12 PM

Hi,

I'm with 3 and remember the media around the rise in Vodafone complaints in recent times (94% if I remember correctly). It also wasn't that long ago that 2 members of my family were caught in a tedious fiasco to do with billing. Needless to say I'd rather drop them both and head to Telstra. At least that way I can speak with someone when I have a problem.

I was on pre-paid Vodafone (so sorry about no additional help, I just want to share a story). I had been frustrated with them for years, as I travel by car a lot for work. I was finding myself unable to get reception for up to three hours of a four hour car trip some days. The final straw was that I was in a town called Woollert one day and had no reception. THIS TOWN IS 4KM FROM THE END OF THE METROPOLITAN TRAIN LINE (epping).
So I finally said TO HELL WITH YOU CLOWNS. I've switched to Telstra, they might be more pricey but I couldn't care less. Life is too short for crap phone companies and dealing without amenities which phone companies should provide as part of their basic deals (such as, y'know, RECEPTION). Well, Vodafone is a crap phone company in Australia, and I'm willing to part with the extra few dollars here and there so that I can talk to family and friends uninterrupted. Goodbye, Vodafone; consider me gone for good.

19597 Someone from SA thinks their gain is No more hearing lies from Vodafone/3 at 6 Oct 2011 09:52:22 PM

Over-billing, lies and excuses really got annoying. So I called the TIO and had no response from Vodafone/3 until the close of business day. Spoke to a Cara and managed to get the exit fee waived along with all the other ridiculous charges as a result of over-billing. Cara also allowed me to keep the handset for $100 as it was 13 months old anyway. Now waiting for my Amaysim sim and soon enough I'll have an unlocked iPhone 4 using Amaysim.

I'm a 3 customer who has been underwhelmed at best by 3's service, coverage and communication. Now that 3 has merged with Vodaphone, I don't hold much hope for things getting better. Things have already started to degrade, so I want out, and fast!

I think I may have found a little loophole that might allow me to exit my contract without a fee. Currently (and when I began my contract a year ago), 3 customers roam onto the Telstra 3G network when they want 3G coverage outside of the 3 Broadband zone. Eventually all of 3's old customers will be hosted on the Vodaphone network (something I am not looking forward to!)

I'm hoping that if 3 changes it's policy so that we roam on the (craptastic) Vodaphone 3G network, I may be able to dispute it with the TIO. My reasoning: if I had known that I would be on the Vodaphone network during my contract, I would never have signed up. If this happens before the end of my contract, 3 will have *significantly misrepresented* the service I am being provided.

would like to thank vodafail website and TIO for helping escape this evil fucking company. took a while but after complaining to the TIo they let me leave my contract for no exit fee :) i tried going with virgin but they are worse than vodafone so please for the sake of your dignity and metal health do not go with virgin. i am now with optus and things are running smoothly, slightly more expensive but they have given me a better deal, better service and better phone!!i hope people that are still trapped with vodafone contact the TIO and get rid of vodaone. oh and one more thing: FUCK YOU VODAFONE :)

3 Oct 2011 02:59:12 PM: Thanks, we're really glad you were able to get out of your contract! The TIO is tops! Hope everyone else benefits from your warning. Enjoy your new working mobile.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

29 Dec 2011 10:50:03 AM: virgin uses the optus network, there is no difference between them

19539 Someone from WA thinks their gain is Just Amaysim at 28 Sep 2011 01:18:07 PM

After months of complaining to Vodafail then the TIO about being charged for excess data Vodafail in there wisdom decided to disconnect my phone while the account was still in dispute I then had to lodge another complaint with the TIO about the phone being disconnected as it did not allow the previous complaint to be resolved. Vodafail offered to reconnect the service in order to resolve the new complaint I said no I did not want to recconnect and wanted to end the contract Vodafail said in order to do that it would cost $600 in early exit fees I said no I did not want to pay the early exit fees and wanted to terminate the contract as I had lost complete faith in Vodafail she then asked her supervisor and her supervisor said due to this being our second complaint with the TIO they will terminate the contract without the early exit fees and also remove all excess data charges to out account. All we have to do no is pay for the past 2 months (instead of 3) phone bills now totaling $110 instead of the $600 plus they tried chargng us and have to pay $170 to keep the phone. We have now have joined Amaysim on the $39.90 Unlimted plan

19492 Someone from VIC thinks their gain is Really good like really really good at 21 Sep 2011 08:24:59 PM

I used to be on TPG i kept creeping over my cap and stalling the last few days. I ordered online and got the vodafone infinite and galaxy s2 delivered within a couple of days and haven't looked back reception is just as good if not better. browsing speeds are great and i don;t need my home phone. 13 numbers are irrelevant as a quick google will show me the 'international' contact number which is a local number. Oh... plus i got a $600 phone for nothing making it $480 for unlimited calls for 24months oh and 500gb pretty much does it for me... apparently for $4 extra yhou can get an extra 700mb of data.... well happy browsing and good luck!!!

See my notes from 25//5/2011. VF didn't apply the 50% discount to the next two months so I didn't pay the bills. When the bill was $220 or so I called up and complained about reception, sms etc. Total 3 hours on hold and 3 calls. Escalated to team coach then team leader. Lodged a complaint with TIO online requesting disconnection and keeping the handset, no fees etc. VF called back and offered $150 credit. So far I have paid $15 in 6 months and received $350 in credits so the squeaky wheel certainly got the oil in this case.

16 Sep 2011 01:10:48 PM: PS the department to speak to is cancellations/retentions - they are open 8am to 8pm so you do need to call within those times. They do try and wind you up a bit by sniggering, sounding amused etc, and on my calls they kept saying "Frankly" as in "Frankly sir, we don't see how we can give you a credit, because Frankly we have already paid out the limit for your profile based on your spending".

16 Sep 2011 01:33:14 PM: PPS I did have a bar placed on the phone for about 3 days until I got the credit sorted.

19430 Someone from WA thinks their gain is Good enough at 14 Sep 2011 05:11:54 PM

After months of paying for what can barely be called a service, and after numerous complaints to Vodafail, I had enough of the people over in Mumbait to last me a life time. I complained numerous times and was told that they would invesigate the matter, only to be told..
Vodafil: "There are no technical issues in your area".
Me: "I did explain when I called, that this is a mobile phone, so that means it is not at that address constantly. Did you investigate all the areas I reported?"
Vodafail: "Sorry, what areas where they?"
Me: (holding tongue and feeling quite annoyed): "I did tell you becuase I keep notes & I am looking at them righ now. Areas such as Subiaco, Claremont, Fremantle, Perth, Hamersly, Warwick, Girrawheen"..
Vodafail: "Are they rural areas?"
Me: "No, they are major suburbs in Western Australia".
Vodafil;" Doesn't matter, we have found no issues".
Me: "I require to be released from my contract, this phone & the other phone are business phones. We jave lost money because of your faulty network".
Vodafil: "You can get out of your contract, but it will costs you $100.00 per month left on the contract, per phone for us to release it".
Me:"This is totally unacceptable, I am going to complain to the TIO".
Vodafail: "you can do that, it won't make a difference".
Me:"Really, well we'll see".. and hung up..
Anyway, after calling the TIO and complaining quite loudly although politley, I was told that Vodafail (opps, they still call them Vodafone)had failed to provide me a service and one of the Vodafail complaints resolution team would contact me shortly. I was a bit apprehensive about that, but none the less accpeted that.
Not to long after that, I was contacted by a memeber of the Vodafail crew over east. I was pretty grateful that I was no longer speaking to Mumbai! He went on to explain, that he could see a LARGE amount od faukts, relating to call connection, messages, data and internet (pretty much everything) and was releasing me of my contract to buy with no nasty surprises on my credit rating. Woohoo!! Good bye Vodafail and Hello Telstra..

19423 Someone from VIC thinks their gain is holding off at 13 Sep 2011 06:40:14 PM

So - went to look at phones today as mine is 6 months out from needing to be renewed and 3 (Now Vodafone) have typically let me have one early for "resigning" up a new contract. They were all excited about a "new network" that apparently is faster (850 or something?) but I then popped into Telstra who told me that a network agreement between Hutchedson and Telstra is set to expire in April of next year. Apparently if I stay with 3/Vodafone I'm suddenly going to experience a mass drop in speed and support when this termination of "networking sharing" occurs. So my gain is to get a cheap phone off efail, stay on month by month, and sit back until April! Then I'm not (thankfully) locked in.

29 Dec 2011 10:59:47 AM: that is the agreement between three and telstra, there is no such agreement with telstra and vodafone as voda has its own independent network. Voda's speeds are increasing, 3 is decreasing

Walked into store with phone that had been barred for some reason, couldn't make calls, pissed as all hell, spoke to a surprisingly helpful & polite staff member who walked me through every single part of my contract, my bill and explained what happened. turned out when I started my contract online I spelt my own email address wrong and never got any bill to pay. 3 months with no bill pay, service was cancelled. #myfail. Staff were really understanding though, I thought they'd be hard to deal with, especially with all this press. But I've got to say, they were very professional.

My Vodafone seems to be working fine and has done since November last year.
Not sure what all the who ha is about.
Had one problem when I went to Dalysford for one night and had no coverage. Rang them and they gave me a $30 credit on my next bill.
From my understanding 3G coverage is not perfect with any provider. I was in a department store yesterday with someone who was on optus and they could not log on to their account to do a bank transfer.

We have become so dependant and want coverage "everywhere" and if not we are complaining.

So come on guys be thankful for what we have.

Russell

1 Dec 2011 02:44:11 PM: im with you, ive never had a problem.. i think people just jump on the bandwagon because they can.

I had a 'Vodafail' USB internet dongle that worked perfectly in the country but
would not work in the Northern Beaches because of the overloaded network. They knew this and would do nothing....well except keep taking my money. I got out of my contract by threatening to join the class action against them and send a web link of this site to everyone I know.
They claimed to have cancelled my contract but I then kept getting a credit notes with 31 cents on it. Obviously they did not close my account because they did not want yet another dropped customer to show on their books. Eventually they stopped sending me invoices/credits and told me that my account was totally closed. 6 months later they started calling me with service offers. When I asked why they were calling me one guys said "because you are a customer of ours aren't you"! Obviously they lied about totally closing my account again.
The top management of this company should be put in jail for theft.

i am a recent ex employee of vodafone. without going into details of how terribly unfair i was treated during this process i just wanted to let anyone reading this know that their are ways to work around the system, sometimes it just takes an insiders know how information.
as of about a 2 months ago vodafone introduced a new policy which allows managers and assistant mangers to issue credit onto contracts for disgruntled customers IN STORE, ON THE SPOT. not many people are aware that as of right now you can walk into a vodafone store and state they are not meeting their end of the contract (supplying customers with reliable service) therefore you do not have to meet yours (paying your bill). customers who said this line to my manager in store usually got their last months bill amount credited to their account. in other words the next month was usually free when people said this.

sometimes the manager would say they cant do anything for them blah blah im sure you have all heard it before however im telling you right now they are lying. i have seen it with my own eyes. more often than not customers who were aware that the manager had authority to credit the account got what they wanted. so some tips for you all
1. walk into store and state that service has been terrible - slow speeds and drop outs work best because it cant be proved wrong using coverage checker. the staff member who served you will usually get coverage checker up so say you travel around through multiple post codes. that way they cant blame outages. your word against theres.
2. if your declined keep going back in and make sure you state you are aware the manager can give you a FPR
3. if they still decline you credit try another store. in the end its the managers decision to credit so keep going until you find someone dumb enough to do it ( my manager certainly was)
4.repeat as many times as you can. continuation of this process can often lead to cancellation fees being waived because head office get sick of crediting people accounts.

What is the aim of this website? What are you trying to achieve? Are you trying to shut vodafone down?

22 Aug 2011 10:58:09 AM: The aim of this website is stated on the front page of the site. In short I didn't get anywhere complaining through the normal channels so I started a website to bring everyone together and collect everyone's complaints. We then used all those complaints and wrote a report which was submitted to Vodafone and the regulators. In short we want Vodafone to fix it's service for all it's customers. When we first started they were denying problems even existed but now they improving their customer service and working on fixing their network.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

23 Aug 2011 05:13:58 PM: Nice Work Moderation Team!!!

7 Nov 2011 11:28:18 AM: Piss off idiot. Yes it would be good idea to shut them down!

19180 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Very Happy at 18 Aug 2011 12:42:20 PM

Usual story with no signal, call dropouts, phone more useful as a paperweight - you know the experience! I got out of my contract with 16 months left at a cost of $100 instead of $861 and kept my handset (iphone 4) and number. Am now with Telstra on a $49 cap (vs $79 with vodafail for almost same data/calls) with their BYO freedom contract.
I first emailed V customer services, received BOT response with links to cost of terminating contract.
I then replied with Attention Cormac Hodgkinson (Manager customer Services and Experience) in the subject line with a copy of the first emailand an intro describing how the BOT response was inflammatory! No response, so after another 72 hours I emailed again - attention Cormac etc, keeping the trail of correspondence, and heavily used the words 'unacceptable', 'no service as promised', 'untenable', "can't do my work", "single woman alone on dark road" etc and the magic words - "will seek assistance from the telecommunications ombudsman". Response with 48 hours and offer of minimal early contract termination fee, cancel last invoice, keep handset and number and apologies.
that, I call a result.

19179 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is from disastrous to acceptable at 18 Aug 2011 08:36:21 AM

I managed to talk to a (VERY) patient person within 2 minutes. Previously I have been unable to get away from Lara no matter how many buttons I push. The human was not able to see any information he needed to help me or unable to in anyway resolve the issue which is still abysmal however not speaking to Lara was a real relief.

Contacted them through their blog first and saw tha others were complaining of the same thing (HTC legend useless after the new froyo update). After only one or two phone calls and referring to their blog and also getting a new phone replaced, they cancelled my contract for me 12 months early with no costs. I asked if I could now change providers and they said yes. Have been with them for many years.

They deserve every bad press they get! Hassle getting out of a contract, got transferred five times to speak to every department for at least 2 hours altogether to find out that they needed to conduct an network investigation on my area before anything could happen... I said they better report back to me within 5-7 working days or I will contact the TIO. they complied but only to tell me my area frequency was fine... Seriously?! You would I put my time and effort into complaining if everything was fine? Just rubbish.

Called them again after billing error and was so fed up I asked to e transferee to the cancellation department. This time call logs and errors were evident and based on that I was let go. This time it was quick and easy.

My advice is that if they don't comply then threat them with the TIO and if they reject the first time, call again.

Have to hand back t handset but oh well, never paid for it anyway! And as for the network. Absolute rubbish. Never will go back and warning everyone the troubles I had to go through.

Was asked for satisfaction ratings... I said and i quote "I hate Lara!" lol

tio and a good friend that was able to put up with dealing with their crappy stupid dumb ignorant not skilled nor understandinding 1 way hard to understand reps!!! To think they were the best network until 2010... And still getting worse somebody tell them to give up hardcore, maybe give us the calls for india, manilla wateva the f#@!!! they was from so we can show them how it feels to not understand or even acknowledge a word or time wasted by the customer whos on the recieving end getting nothing but $5-600 bills and when given credits as a solution, those credits come back up to bite ya. You cant win & as for them dumb f#@!!! that hang up on ya when its so too hard or even when you ask for a delta numb they either giv u a mambaiii name or sprint the letters so fast that u lmfaooo dont even want to ask again.. But if you say i dont understand you can you give me your delta numb in plain english??
TIO fines their ass every complaint they get so really all the rip off's Im having the last laugh. Optus is the way to go Iv worked in that industry before & optus I think was the only company that had staff hired as customer service not starving sale gurus. And as the rest sent their jobs to india and Phillipines (Vod N Tel) Optus had no problems not firing or forcing staff to quit their prescious darling headf!@#@@@ job!

I was released from my contract by the TIO back in March, and returned my phone etc as per the agreement.
It is now July and my win is that I think I have finally stopped them sending me bills- even though it took another TIO complaint and 3 consecutive nights on the phone trying to get someone to actually close it.
Phew! It took a while for me to find my way out of the maze at the Vodafone zoo - but glad I did!

18573 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Very good at 30 Jun 2011 07:41:58 AM

Hi - I shared my mobile internet problem on this website on 26/05/2011 - issue number 18138. Well thanks to the advice of Adam Brimo, the Moderator of Vodafail.com, I reported my issue to the TIO on their website and was issued reference number 11/184304. The TIO contacted Vodafone and on Tuesday 28/06/2011 at 10:54 AM, I got a call from (Personal Details Removed) of Vodafone Resolutions, tel 1300 365 506, who said that I've been released from my contract and am just connected on a month-to-month basis. I feel that Vodafone staff aren't backed up by their management and investment in their backend infrastructure hasn't kept up with their new customer subscriptions. As such, I feel somewhat sorry for Vodafone Australia staff. I wonder if I should have asked for the verbal advice in writing. Could someone please let me know by dropping me an e-mail. My e-mail address is: (Personal Details Removed)

1 Jul 2011 09:43:18 PM: Hi, No worries, I'm really glad you were able to get out of your contract and move to a month-month arrangement.

We've had to remove your contact details for privacy reasons. However you are welcome to contact us at someone@vodafail.com or anyone is welcome to post anonymously on this site. In the report we published in January this year, we did find that there wasn't a great deal of support for the front line customer service staff. Hopefully the situation is improving but it's impossible for me to know as an outsider.

If anyone has more information on the level of support staff are receiving they are welcome to post it here.

Standard software that comes preloaded is a version 10.2... which I have just spent 10 hours with VF tech support finding out is NOT compatible with Windows 7.

17 Feb 2012 10:31:21 AM: We have just spent nearly 2 weeks trying to get this to work, including numnerous calls to the support desk, and no-one has mentioned this incompatability to us. IS there later version of the software?

10 Mar 2012 05:07:18 PM: I also cannot get my vodaphone, latest software from vodaphone site, to run on windows 7, though I can connect to the net manaully with no problems. Have spent hours on phone with help line trying to get this softwar to work and was advised to download latest, they did not even ask what my current version was. It was the latest already so I wasted download time/allowance for nothing. BUT re the not compatible with Windows 7 issue, my with is running a brand new lap top, with Windows 7, and her vodaphone panel software installed and is running fine. I am totally stumped and suggest any glib comments from any service personnel to say that it is not compatible, this is clearly not true, and I wish to goodnes someone could find the real reason as I am at the point of pulling the plug.

Lodged a complaint with the Vic Telco Ombudsman after no joy with the billing/cancellation department who wouldn't release me from my contract due to days without reception in Daylesford, poor 3g in Melbourne and delayed MMS's.

A few days later got a call from someone high up in Vodafone saying my contract would be terminated free of charge, and I could keep my handset which would be discounted from $360 to $130.

I was also advised that the handset didn't require unlocking, so with this information in hand went and got a Telstra sim, just to find that my handset WAS locked and not on Voda's system to perform a self unlock. Thanks Vodafone, even without your red sim, I still cant make calls.

vodafone who gave the contract to the intelenet globals services pvt lad..is one of the third class company where m working right nw as a agent(CSA).there agent under pressurd for s-set from custmor.if they not get it meant to termination or leave the job by force fully..i feeling very same to describe abt it

18407 Someone from VIC thinks their gain is Released from our contract at 14 Jun 2011 10:28:42 PM

We signed up for Vodafone on the Friday. On the Monday we asked for our money back. It took them 10 days to do so. We were originally asked to wait for the "upgrade" which was coming however we did not believe them. They then offered to switch us to 3 network however we did not want that either. Now they promised to waive all costs if we post the handsets back to them. We are now happily yet reluctantly Telstra customers.

18368 Someone from WA thinks their gain is Not bad at 10 Jun 2011 02:05:17 PM

Called Vodafail sometime back to complain about call drop outs etc and was told it would cost me $1,200 to exit from my 2 year plan. Lodged a TIO complaint online (very easy) and about 7 days later was contacted by a Vodafail Customer rep. She had called me on my mobile but as the call was dropping out she called on my landline. She then had the audacity to say - we don't have any evidence of your call issues - I asked her why she was speaking to me on my landline and she said...Oh yeah...! Anyway, she told me an engineer would have to assess my line etc etc - I told her that this wasStep 1 of the Vodafail strategy and that instead we would be proceeding to Step 4 - that is, exit the contract (due to unilateral failure on Vodafail's part) and no exit fees. She said, Oh OK. Next I went into Telstra and signed up on the $49 plan - but my SIM wouldn't work. Telstra efficiently troubleshot the issue to my handset being locked to Vodafail, despite me paying to retain the handset. A call to Vodafail's call centre came up with a beauty. Yes, my mobile was locked to Vodafail and No I couldn't unlock it via their website because Apple (yep that's right) hadn't uploaded the IMIE number of phone and this would take 4 working days!! Next morning I called Apple who not surprisingly dismissed the Vodafail excuse as utter nonsense - in fact, the helpful guy I spoke to looked up my mobile's number and said Yeah I can see you are locked to Vodafail. Another call to Vodafail wherein I told then about their bogus excuse and surprise, surprise, my mobile could now magically be unlocked. Since switching to Telstra - 100% coverage, no call dropouts and texts actually send and are received within seconds - so long Vodafail - you truly are a useless company. I feel sorry for the very friendly staff at Vodafail. Key tip - remain friendly throughout your dealing with Vodafail but firm. Good luck!

18 Jun 2011 01:07:27 PM: how much did you have to pay to retain the handset? & how many months before your controact was suppose to expire?

6 Jul 2011 08:17:59 PM: Looks like $160 and I had about 4 months to go...

18215 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is 3 months free of charges at 31 May 2011 02:24:37 PM

Just complained and complained and complained. It took a while but I got it in the end. I also explained to them then their recent 'free text Sunday'- which they claimed was compensation for the failure of their network on Easter Sunday- was not compensation because I got no benefit out of it and if they kept calling it compensation, then they were being misleading and deceptive.

18161 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Simply the best at 27 May 2011 06:47:58 PM

It only took seven days to convince Voda that I was serious about moving to another service provider, yep, seven. They even told the new service provider that I was also trying to go somewhere else - not true. But its over now, and they will never get my business again.

18127 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Adequate/Good at 25 May 2011 05:14:36 PM

Initially I had issues with upgrading my prepaid to an iPhone contract 6 months ago - told 1-2 weeks, took 3 1/2 and got sent to the wrong address (despite me confirming it about 300 times with customer service beforehand). I made a written complaint but didn't follow it up much.

I had a few reception issues the last month but nothing too major to be honest, however decided I could cash in as others have been getting credits etc. Called on Sunday and spoke to Mumbai. Called again on Wednesday and spoke to upgrades, who transferred me without hearing me out. This fired me up for dealing with the next department. Spoke to accounts, who wanted to put me through to technical. I refused as I knew they would just want me to turn the phone on and off, try calling from outside or whatever. Took some persuading but she eventually transferred me to "Retentions". After telling my tale of woe she had the gall to try and upgrade me to another plan (!). I politely declined and said I wanted my current balance ($250) wiped and a few months free or I was joining the class action and switching to optus. She again tried to switch me to the other plan but I repeated my request. She countered with either an $83 credit and 6 months at 50% OR the washer dryer combo (just kidding) which was a $200 credit. I asked for the $200 credit and 3 months at 50%, we settled at a $200 credit and 2 months at 50%. This works out at $250 credit, which I'm happy with.

As I said my reception issues have been average (drop outs occasionally) but I live in the Sydney CBD so my reception is usually pretty good. I think the $250 covers my upgrade saga nicely although of course I'd of preferred to have just had what vodafone promised - good reception, good customer service and an iPhone in about 1-2 weeks.

25 May 2011 05:43:44 PM: Further to the above.. if Vodafail will cough up $250 with the minimum prompting I gave (about 25 minutes on the phone and a few idle threats to leave) then a concerted complaint should yield even more. I think if I'd complained a few times the previous week and really stuck to my guns I could of got the whole thing wiped and a few months free... anyway not interested in stooping to their level.

18006 Someone from SA thinks their gain is Excellent at 17 May 2011 01:30:56 PM

Perhaps i'm persistent, but I stuck with Vodafone. Considered switching but ended up renewing my contract for another year. Performance improved significantly in the following months. I commute 30 kilometres from the far Northern Suburbs into the city each day and can no longer find a blackspot on Vodafone's network over the course of the trip. GPRS, EDGE and 3G data works. Calls are never dropped. Texts are always sent. Voicemail works every single time. I'm prepared to sign on with Vodafone for another year this year as a result.

18005 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Contract has been terminated at 17 May 2011 12:07:17 PM

Numerous complaints to the Voda phone 1300 number and a detailed log of call drop outs , 3G drop outs etc . After approx 3 calls over 3 or 4 months and a nuber of " we will give you 3 months free access etc " i escalated the complaint to the TIO as there was no resolution . after approx 10 days vodaphone contacted me after the TIO had contacted them and advised that i would be let out of my contract with the only thing i need to do is send my phone back which is fine as it is locked into the vodaphone network anyway

I must say if you follow the right path and remember that the customer service guys are only doin there job and not take your frustrations out on them you will find this alot easier to do .

In summary i connected to a 24hour $ 59 plan amonth on the 26th of December 2010 &amp; have been let out on the 12/5/2011 . Not too bad overall

if you have any questions or want more details email me on (PERSONAL DETAILS REMOVED) and ill see if i can help you out

17999 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Great at 17 May 2011 07:56:46 AM

My girlfriend and I were with vodafail from august 2009 to may 2011, a few months shy of the 24 month contracts we signed up for. We'd experienced the same as pretty much everyone else out there; Poor coverage, slow or no data, low call quality. It wasn't until I lost my phone (can't blame them for that) and tried to get an iPhone to replace it I was prepared to put up with it.
During a long weekend trip to melbourne we suffered the SMS failure along with the usual poor coverage along basically the whole freeway from sydney to melbourne. We missed out on some of melbourne's premium sms services like tram info etc because of vodafone. I lost my phone on the way back.
It was quick and easy enough to get my phone barred without long wait times or anything, only complaint is the low audio quality and poor communication skills dealing with international call centres but it got done.
Later, I called to see about getting an Iphone on a payment plan without extending my contract (be damned if I'd sign up for another 24 months), I was told on the phone I could pay off the phone over 6 months on top of the cost of my contract and I could go to a vodafone dealer, get a phone and it was that easy.
It wasn't.
I lost my lunchbreak x1.5 waiting for frendy the sales consultant instore who had rubbish communication skills (not just poor english) to communicate with someone in an international call centre also with rubbish communication skills. I had to wait because both of them had no idea what I was on about with the new phone without extending the contract deal. In the end, they said I couldn't even though someone else just an hour before said I could. The only way to get a new phone (which I needed quickly) was to pay outright for the phone. On top of that, they charged a 2.5% surcharge to use my credit card (this adds up on a $900) phone!
So when I had my new outright phone and I went to activate the sim, frendy said it will be done instantly, someone on the phone said it will take an hour MAX, it took four and a half hours.
With my new phone I was back in business constantly receiving dropouts etc and was at breaking point. I was on the vodafone infinite plan but what is the point if I can't enjoy let alone make calls, can't access data and can't be sure if my messages are getting through?
So how did I get out?
Basically I:
Recounted my story to vodafone as plainly and formally as possible with no embellishements
Stated the reasons why they had failed me as a provider; poor service; not delivering what I was paying for etc.
Asked for what I wanted: to get out of my contract no penalty.
Since I had a series of issues, I sent each issue in a separate email for what I felt would be maximum effect.
3 days later, the good news came. I was off vodafone! I was also sent a final invoice for the month outstanding but I won't be paying that it a hurry, I'll make them chase it a bit, let them see what its like to be on the pursuing end of a conflict. Its funny to think of how a corporation will chase that $50 even if it costs them $500 to pursue it.
My Girlfriend followed suit in a similar fashion and was also let off her contract. She is now on Optus, I am on Telstra. Her reception is a bit better, mine is the best I've ever had. I'm not recommending Telstra because I've heard bad things about them but for now it works and all is well.
Props to Vodafail.com for existing, it was my inspiration to complain my way out of my contract!

18 May 2011 12:02:12 PM: Congratulations on being persistent and honest about your problems, it's great your and your girlfriend are now able to enjoy better mobile service.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

29 May 2011 02:06:08 PM: Great story... well done.

4 Jun 2011 10:35:58 PM: i hope you get a horrible credit rating and then feel the need to come into one of our stores then we will laugh at you hahahahaha

10 Jun 2011 11:03:06 AM: @ 17 May - good on you mate, happy for you and your gf. You've done the right thing getting out of vodafone, cant wait till my own contract with them is over! ...
@ 4 Jun - what a hater! thats just an evil thing to say to someone who's gone through so much krap. What goes around comes around my friend... so don't be laughing too hard - cos you won't be laughing if karma comes knocking on your door!

17985 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Good at 16 May 2011 04:29:39 PM

After only being in my contract for 7 months, I escalated my problem through their call centre in India, and it was worth about a week of calling them, that they struck me a deal of $35/month, unlimited everything, when originally my plan was $90, they promised that the network will get better in 3 months, so i was being optimistic about their message.

However 3 months later, nothing has changed, its still vodafail.... cant get 3g, calls drop out, over the easter weekend could not send messages, I lodged a complaint with the TIO and 3 days later i get a msg from vodafail saying im able to port out.

I paid out the 16g iphone for $544, and ported my number to boost prepaid $40/month, unlimited txt/calls, and 3 gig data

its like night and day going to optus.... i can actually speak in peace for once, and get 3g coverage!....

vodafail up my **s.... broken promises and a company spiralling out of control with its tarnished image

17936 Someone from VIC thinks their gain is FANTASTIC at 13 May 2011 11:16:13 AM

I have been complaining since the very begining of this year. They gave me 3 free months, by which at the end of that time 'all issues should be resolved'. They weren't. Called back before the 3 free months was up telling them i didn't want to pay for something that doesn't work. They put in an investigation, nothing was found. Called again to get updates a couple more times. Got through to the cancellations dept, who gave me 6 more free months. But i didn't want that, i was over it. So i put in an online complain to the TIO, and less than one week later i am with Telstra!!!! :D
I think that complaining a little and keeping a level head (dispite the frustration) was the best way to go. Got lots of free stuff, and then a cancellation, no questions asked.

17918 Someone from WA thinks their gain is Yeah, it's ok for now. at 12 May 2011 01:27:11 PM

Just rang Vodafail on 1300 650 410 from a landline, since my phone doesn't keep reception long enough to ring 1555 from the handset. Got put through to India. I asked the first guy how long I had left on my contract, because I wanted to switch telcos. He asked me what my concern was. I told him the reception was the issue. He told me I had 9 months left on my 24 month contract, and it was going to cost $69 * 9 = $621 to get out of my contract. He then told me that if a technical network issue was to blame then the exit fees could be reduced or waived. He then put me through to the technical team to lodge a technical fault. The lady (Shubhangi was her name I think) got me to turn off 3G, then reset the network settings, then reset all settings. She then got me to pop out the Micro-SIM and make sure the gold contacts were clean. None of these got me any better reception. She then check her reception coverage map for my area, and told me that I was in an area well covered by 3G, and should not be having network issues. I begged to differ. She lodged a network check job, and offered me 50% off for 3 months while VF checked things out. I mentioned that I had been with VF for over 16 years and my phone was unuseable. She upped her offer to 100% off for 3 months, which I accepted.

So now I have a free phone for 3 months, and I understand if I still have issues at the end of this 3 months I should be able to get the remaining 6 months of exit fees waived.

You have 3 months Vodafail. I need to see a dramatic improvement or I'm off to the Big T.

Big-ups to Adam Brimo for setting up this site. Please accept my thanks and admiration.

12 May 2011 06:30:14 PM: No worries at all, I'm happy they are no longer denying the problems. I'm glad you were able to get a few months free and then you can decide if it's time to switch to another telco. Goodluck!

Adam

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

14 May 2011 01:19:03 PM: I'm the same guy from the above post. I've just discovered that by resetting all settings I've lost all the stock codes I put in the Stockwatch program on my iPhone 4, and all the cities I put in the weather program, and the sort order of my contacts is now Last,First, and no matter how many times I go into settings and change it to First, Last they still sort as Last, First.

So the frustration is ongoing.

Thanks for saying hi Adam. What you have done here is crack a wall of secrecy, and now that the truth of the situation is laid bare, the way forward is obvious for consumers and telcos alike. Big-ups to you.

16 May 2011 02:28:22 PM: Ahh Vodafone should really warn you about that sort of thing before performing their technical tests! Thanks for your support, although the focus of this website is vodafone I'm sure many other companies have learned from this and hopefully other consumers are inspired to stand up for their rights. All the best.

I was reluctant to leave Vodafone after 10 years, as they've always been great in the past. So after about 8 months of suffering drop-outs, bad or no reception and delayed text message delivery, I decided to finally call Vodafone and cancel my contract (which is due to end in 3 months anyway).

I have to say, I agree with some of the other comments, that Vodafone really do seem to genuinely want to fix this for their customers. My call was answered very quickly and politely, and they were very understanding (I guess they have to be with the sheer amount of complaints they must get).

I almost feel bad for the company. Or at least for the lower level workers whose jobs might be at risk if this results in the company losing too much money and having to make cut-backs. They still take it seriously and were very helpful and curtious.

I ended up deciding the give them a 2nd chance, I figure with all the law-suits etc an end to this hideous service must be near, plus there's no guarantee that I would be better off if I moved to another carrier.

Vodafone allowed me to sign up for a 12 month contract instead of 24, which gave me a new iphone 4 with no upfront charges. They also credited my account with almost $300, and my next 3 months will be completely free too (my $69 plan fee anyway).

so to sum up, i believe in 2nd chances. I also believe that sales girl did a good job on me, :\

10 May 2011 12:03:10 PM: Congrats on getting a resolution that works for you. Vodafone did announce a number of big changes in February so hopefully they can deliver on those and you'll be seeing improved service. Vodafone can only improve if they know where all the problems are so don't hesitate to call them back if you are running into issues.

For many people though, Vodafone has already used up their second chance, so let's see how they go.

I still pay more than 40 dollars a month for my Mobile modem (6Gb usage per month) when Vodafone now offer the same for 29 dollars.
Vodafone doesn't offer retrospective adjustment. This is unfair because I need to wait till the end of the 24 months in order to change.

9 May 2011 02:21:07 PM: no you dont mate its called a rate plan change and you keep your same contract completion date....either call up or go in and see them and they'll change you to the newest one, i did it.

17690 Someone from VIC thinks their gain is one down one to go at 4 May 2011 10:53:33 PM

After a month of mobile broadband pain, multiple calls, issues logged - no followup or if there was it was days after they had promised to get back to me. Rang up on 27/4 told them I wanted to cancel and they said yes on the spot and had cut me off by the time I got off the phone.

I am still waiting on the bag to send them back their modem/sim. Apparently once they get it back they remove the "cancelation charges". going to call tomorrow and demand my postage bag as I am sure getting the cancellation charges reversed after its billed to me will be a bigger pain in the ass...

6 months left on my mobile and I am gone after 17 years as a customer...

17685 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is Goodbye Voda at 4 May 2011 06:23:32 PM

Called up to complain about the poor coverage, calls going to voicemail, slow SMS etc. They started off offering 3 months free, then reduced plan cost per month. I just wanted out - which they finally agreed to.

I have ported to Telstra.

They will supposedly send a bag to collect the iPhone 4. Does anyone know how long this might take? How can it be escalated if the bag does not arrive?

I am sure they would be happy to charge for the handset by not sending out the bag to return the phone.

5 May 2011 02:34:20 PM: Hey, same thing happened to me, i moved to telstra as well, let mme tell yuo tesltra are great, great reception everywhere i go, as for the satchel it took about 4 day sfor it to arrive :)

17676 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Best result at 4 May 2011 03:30:01 PM

So if you want to get out of a 24 month contract, bill free and ditch the handset: This is how!

Set 1: Have your details good to go. This is going to cut down the ammount of time on the phone. Know your facts, know what you want to achieve.
I wanted out. After recieving my new C3 Touch and Type on a $19 cap, I was completely unsatisfied. They didn't give me SIM information (SUCH AS A PHONE NUMBER!), incorrect billing period (10 days billed before I recieved the hanset!), poor service from the start (Easter weekend) and false promises in coverage.

Step 2: Call the hotline. Ask for cancelations. They will ask you multiple questions before putting you through, refuse. Getting through to cancelations you have to realise they will lie to you. They will do anything to keep you on that contract. Straight out ask to cancel, even if you don't want to actually cancel. (best discounts for a large scale loss!) They will say there are no cancelations and they will offer to switch your plan, stay strong! After offers of 20 different plans, a month of free useage and being told to shut up and listen, I asked for a manager. After 20 mintues on hold, the same lady came back on the phone and said she had spoken to her manager and I could get 4 months free. I gave up, hung up. This 4 months free is your "buffer period", this is so you don't have to pay as you try to get out.

Step 3: If you find yourself unable to get step 2, when on the phone use the following:
"Is this call being recorded?"
"Yes."
"Good, make sure it is and put me through to a manager."
That's what I did after being abused.

Step 4:
E-mail. E-mail the customer services. From expirence, they are a lot better. At this point I obviously had a alot to work with. All my issues along with a case of abuse and poor service. I had no problems from this point after writing a large essay of all my issuse. Took about a week back-and-forth e-mailing. I am now being sent a returns package, and can port to any carrier.

BONUS:
If you're having problems, it probably because you don't have anything to fight about, or you're not wording yourself properly. This is a list of some good'uns.

Products/services being sold not being of merchantable quality, services being sold under false pretences.
No reception, message delay.

And as previously posted, If they still refuse:
If you decline my request I need you to understand that I am filing a complaint with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
I will need your contact details and have you send me your response in writing for the purposes of the complaint, and as evidence in the PiperAlderman class action that I am joining.

And if they don't agree, follow through with it. Get TIO to help you out.

13 May 2011 05:48:52 PM: (OP HERE)
Return satchel arrrived today (they were in no rush! -rollseyes-)
Ported to amaysim, almost without a hitch. So even after I was free Vodafone was giving me trouble! Finally out and it feels rather nice.
Just a small plug. Amaysim (running off Optus Network) gives me 4 bars where I'd have 0 on Vodafone. If your not a frequent phone user and those $50 = $200 caps won't help you, go to amaysim. 15 cent per min, no flagfall. 12 cent text. 4 cent data per MB. Rather than Vodafone's $1 calls, 25c texts and $2 MB

17648 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Pretty Good at 3 May 2011 05:58:12 PM

I'm two months from the end of my contract with vodafone. I've been mad keen to port out but unwilling to pay out the contract. I decided to call Vodafone to see if they would waive the exit fee. They said they would, but offered me the remainder of my contract (2 months) for free if I stay with them until they finish upgrades in my area. After which if I am still unsatisfied, I can leave at the end of my contract as per usual without penalty.

While I'm not happy with all the stuff ups, I believe they are making a bug effort make things right where they can. All it takes it to ring up and ask your questions in a civil and polite manor. Be realistic with your expectations and work with them. I probably will still port out to Telstra in 2 months, but I really appreciate the effort they made to make things right. It gives me hope that they will pull themselves out of the hole they are in now. If this happens, I might even go back to them when I crack it with Telstra in 2 years time :-),

4 May 2011 04:04:42 PM: Totally agree. I have left, but my final experience and them agreeing to things that I did not expect, will result in me at least considering them in the future (and coming back to this site to see if the issues remain).

17642 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is well above average at 3 May 2011 11:51:02 AM

I had my payments for my plan and phone (HTC destire HD) reduced to $0 for the next 6 months on top of the last 4mnths allowing me to use another sim card in my cool phone. Reducing my phone cost by 50%. Originaly I paid $59 per month now I am paying $18 a month for the same data and calls I had with Vodafail. So Vodafail is paying the cost of my phone for half the contract plus now I can use the bloody thing cause I'll be on the Optus Network.

On Vodaphone prepay I found they were billing me for premium texts not requested not received & alleged supplier provided written evidence that they sent no text. Vodaphone refused to reverse charges or admit billing or network issues despite evidence kept on hold as a deliberate ploy for hours so took to ombudsman - result instant refund - they have billing issues with premium rate texts on pre pay gather evidence use ombudsman service don't waste your time with VPhone cust service give them 1 courtesy if they don't sort your problems go straight to ombudsman as Vphone cust service they are trained to fob you off in the hope you give up

17533 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is Good at 28 Apr 2011 05:57:43 PM

Called them up regarding similar issue (Dropped calls, zero reception) they admitted there were coverage issue in the area's neighbouring my suburbs and that it could be effecting me however because it was not my direct are they could give me 50% off the next three months. I told them it was directly effecting and that the offer was unsatisfactory, she went to talk to her manager and same back and said i could have the next three months waived.

Considering i have 5 months left im fairly happy and will wait untill the end before i port out.

17532 Someone from NSW thinks their gain is A Sad Day in a lot of Ways at 28 Apr 2011 05:45:27 PM

After complaining to the TIO, I received a message from Vodafone after only 1 and a half working days to say I was free to port my number from today. I was toward the end of a 2 year contract in any case, but I ran out of patience waiting for it to end, and wanted to send a message to Vodafone management in my own small way about the poor quality of the Network in Sydney. I went on Holidays to Brisbane and it was like having a new phone, compared to Sydney and Melbourne coverage. You QLD people should try living here, then you would have something to complain about.

I want to thank the many Vodafone staff, even those in OS call centers, who have worked hard in what for many of them must be a very difficult time. After 10 years as a Vodafone customer, I was actually sad to leave like this, signing with Teltsra soon after receiving the free to go message. The bureaucracy of Telstra was why I left them in the first place, and in that regard it looks like not a lot has changed, but at least I don't have to go outside to the street to use my mobile phone anymore. I can work through my house and just drop to 3 out of 4 bars, rather than Vodafone's 1 to 2 bars on the road outside and nothing in the house.

I have personally worked for an American multinational that left us having to deal with upset customers as the business crumbled due to the local Australian managers chasing short term sales targets over delivering a quality service at the expense of it's customers, it's staff, any long term goals and ultimately the company itself as that part of the business failed as our customers quit there contracts in droves, whilst apologising to us and saying it wasn't anything personal.

People like Jason and others working for Vodafone, who has responded to comments I have made on the web, I have a lot of respect for. Even today as I had to get a account number from a Vodafone store, in order to port my number the staff where very helpful, though they where still signing a person up to this network, though it was only 1 person, where you could barely move in the Telstra shop due to the number of customers that where there this afternoon.

So thanks to the staff at Vodafone, and I truly hope things do improve for you and your customers, but in getting rid of your management, where this debacle was caused by the previous management or the current, or both, I feel like I just kicked one of my mates out of the house who had of late been eating all my food, drinking all my beer and not doing anything for me in return. I will see in 2 years time, when my new contract expires if that old mate has learnt his lessons and improved his behavior, or if he just proves to me how justified I was to give him the boot.

I'm currently having issues with my molbile broadband - keeps dropping out and not loading etc. They said something about an upgrade in my area within the next few months - therefore I have the next few (3) months free, and if there are still problems they will cancel my contract at no fee :)
I have other ways to access internet, and it sometimes works anyway, but I'm happy!

17428 Someone from SA thinks their gain is Released from Contract at 27 Apr 2011 01:06:07 PM

Vodaphone released me from my contract with no exit fees - I just had to send my iPhone back. Within hours I had signed up with Telstra and haven't dropped a call or lost connectivity since. Best move I made.

4 May 2011 06:25:38 PM: Have you got the bag yet to return the phone? How long did it take to get the bag?